Warm poached salmon and never-fail hollandaise

Method

1. Put all the ingredients for the poaching liquor in a wide saucepan or roasting tray. Keep the liquor over a low heat for 20 mins to infuse, but make sure it stays below the boil - don't let it start simmering and reduce away.
2. Scrub your Jerseys and put them in a pan of cold water with some salt and the mint sprigs. Bring to a simmer for 20-25 mins.
3. Once the spuds are on, lay the salmon fillets in the poaching liquor, skin side down, keeping the heat very low. Season and cover, and after 10 mins lay the asparagus spears in the liquid too, put the lid back on and cook for a final 5 mins.
4. While the salmon is poaching, melt the butter for the hollandaise, and whizz the yolks, mustard and lemon juice in the food processor for a couple of mins until light and fluffy. Once the butter has melted, bring it to a rapid boil, then immediately drip-feed it into the whirring food processor. As soon as it's all incorporated, tip the sauce into a bowl and season with salt to taste and some freshly ground black pepper. (There's a visual argument for white pepper here, but the flavour is different.)
5. All that remains is to gently lift the salmon on to a suitably pretty serving dish - good idea to use a couple of fish slices to lift it, and move decisively. Keep and freeze the poaching liquor for future use. Don't strain it, but pick out the bay leaves. Tumble the spuds on to the plate and finish with some jaunty lemon and the finest English spears of the season.

By Allegra McEvedy and Paul Merrett